


Sweetheart Hill

by should_i_say_it_like_a_spy



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff, I'm not even kidding there's really a lot, Romance, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 12:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14934182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/should_i_say_it_like_a_spy/pseuds/should_i_say_it_like_a_spy
Summary: Sometimes, someone stumbles on a perfect name. Sometimes, other people keep it that way. A series of episodic moments where Theron and Safi ensure Sweetheart Hill lives up to its name.





	1. Prologue: Sweetheart Hill

In the early days of the Alliance, the hill had been nameless. It rose to the north of the base compound, overlooking the landing zone that usually housed the Defender, not really different from any of the other dozens of hills that made up the Odessen terrain. A few weeks after construction of the base was completed, a name started circulating through the ranks: Sweetheart Hill.

A valiant attempt was made to keep the origin of the moniker a secret, but within a day or so, Theron Shan had figured out the truth. Apparently, people had started noticing that the commander spent a lot of her free time there—as did a particular one of her advisors, the same one that could occasionally be spied slinking through the hallways near her quarters just before dawn, wearing the same clothes as the day before.

Overall sentiment regarding the commander’s relationship was positive, however—and truthfully, Theron was most concerned about the fact that he hadn’t been as invisible as he’d thought on those early-morning jaunts back to his own room—so he hadn’t seen the need to embarrass Safi by mentioning the name’s etymology to her or her advisors; he merely thanked the stars that they had never gotten carried away up there like they had that night on Rishi, and quietly changed the perimeter guard’s patrol route to make sure the area was hidden from their view, and the name stuck.

It seemed particularly fitting, now, so long after the fact, as Theron stood atop the crest of the hill, waiting, much calmer than he would have ever imagined himself to be—but then, he had never even thought to imagine this.

The orange glow of the setting sun blazed fiercely through the surrounding treetops; he wouldn’t have to wait much longer, but immediacy didn’t diminish his patience. Until the moment arrived, he was content to let his gaze linger on the familiar landscape and remember…


	2. Chapter One: The Third Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by the Tumblr prompt "Soft OTP asks: sharing earbuds and watching a sunrise. person B puts their jacket over person A’s shoulders." It got way out of hand.

The cool night air was tinged with faint violet light, an unmistakable herald of the approaching dawn, as Safi climbed the familiar stone steps to the top of the tall hill overlooking the Alliance base. She came to meditate, as she so often did these days—the Force Enclave was full to the brim now, with new recruits arriving daily, and every one of them seemed to want a few words with their commander. Safi knew it was unfair of her to resent their attention; each of them had sacrificed a great deal to join the Alliance, and to seek reassurance from their new leader was only natural. Still, she couldn’t deny that part of her—some days, a very large part—wanted nothing more than the anonymity of being just another Jedi among many, no one special, not a galactic savior or an Alliance commander or anything of the sort. Since none of that was an option for her, however, Safi simply settled for an uninterrupted meditation session every now and again.

This hilltop had proved perfect for such an endeavor: not far from the base, easily accessible, yet still secluded enough that she was left to her own devices. It also helped that it reminded her of simpler times, on Tython, when she and Master Orgus would head into the mountains around the Jedi Temple for training, meditation, and discussion. When she closed her eyes, sometimes she could picture her old friend there beside her, and it allowed her to leave behind the stresses of being commander, even if only for a few minutes.

Tonight, she expected the area to be deserted—there was rarely anyone else up here, after all, especially not at this hour—but when she slipped through the gate that separated the landing zone from the surrounding wilderness, she was met with the silhouette of a familiar form against the bright backdrop of Odessen’s moon. 

This presence was one she would never resent, not even in a far more private sanctuary than this, and all thoughts of meditation fled from her mind as she came to stand beside him, looking out over the shadowy landscape spread before them.

“You’re up early,” she said after a moment, her fingers twining around the hand that hung at his side.

Theron’s grasp shifted so that he was enveloping her hand in his own as he answered.

“More like out late. Couldn’t sleep.”

A pang of guilt speared through her chest; if she had bothered to check in on him sometime during the last few hours instead of only worrying about herself, she might have been able to help him get some rest.

“Hey, not your fault.” His voice cut off her train of thought as he turned to face her, his free hand coming up to rest against her chin, tilting her head so that she looked into his eyes. “You’ve got enough on your plate without babysitting me, and it won’t be the first time I’ve gone without sleep.”

Safi was shocked for a moment, trying to figure out if she had accidentally said something aloud, before she remembered that their bond had strengthened to the point that Theron could now feel her emotions. That development was still only a few weeks old, not enough time for her—or him, she imagined—to have grown used to it yet.

“But,” Theron continued, not giving her a chance to respond, “I’d guess that means that you haven’t been to bed yet either.”

“It won’t be the first time I’ve gone without sleep,” she echoed, smiling when he let out a low chuckle.

“Maybe we _both_ need a babysitter,” he amended, untangling his fingers from hers and sliding his hand up her arm, frowning as he felt a shiver course through her. “But at least I know how to dress for the weather.”

Safi snorted. “Tell me that the next time we’re on Tattooine, Agent ‘I can’t possibly go without my jacket’ Shan.”

Theron ignored her jibe and let go of her so that he could shrug out of his jacket, which he then draped around her shoulders.  For a moment she considered arguing, but the shirt he wore underneath had long sleeves where her tunic had none, and she _was_ cold. Besides, she thought as she slid her arms into the sleeves, it smelled like him, and something about wearing it made her feel…

She paused, unsure of the labels for the emotions that wrapped around her as tangibly as that warm red leatheris. Happiness, safety, hope…and something stronger, something wild and fierce but still soft, that she wasn’t quite ready to put a name to. Safi shrugged off her thoughts, content for now to just enjoy the moment with Theron, and the warm, fuzzy feelings it created.

“What were you doing up here, anyway?” she asked lightly, snuggling up against Theron and sighing with pleasure when he slid his arms around her.

His voice was laced with laughter when he said, “Would you believe me if I said I was relaxing?”

“Not for a moment,” she answered, and it was true. Theron’s idea of relaxing was decrypting non-essential data in his free time, or perhaps taking on an off-the-books mission. Even when they lay exhausted, tangled in sheets and one another, his mind continued working, chipping away at problem after problem. At the beginning, back on Rishi and Yavin and during the clandestine meetings in the months that followed, she had wondered if that was a reflection of some flaw in herself, some relational defect borne from a lifetime of spurning romantic attachments. Now, she understood that it was simply part of what made him the man she cared for, and took pleasure in the fact that, in the moments they were joined together, his thoughts were on nothing but the two of them.

“I didn’t think so, but it’s actually true,” Theron replied, sounding almost surprised at his own words. “Thought maybe I could clear my head up here, turn my brain off long enough to get some sleep, so I put on some music and just…” He trailed off into a shrug. “It was actually kind of nice.”

Safi smiled into his shoulder, glad to hear that he had taken at least a little time for himself. He worked just as hard for the Alliance as anyone else, and no one knew better than she the kind of toll that work could take.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” she said, the sentiment unoffended and genuine. “Do you want me to go?” As much as she loved spending time with Theron, there were times when she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts; she wouldn’t begrudge him the same opportunity.

Theron put a stop to that line of thinking immediately, the circle of his arms tightening as he held her in place.

“Don’t you dare. I’ve had enough solo contemplation to last me for at least another six months or so.”

It wasn’t exactly the truth; oh, he was through watching the sky while his thoughts wandered aimlessly, but what he didn’t say was that the one thing his mind had returned to all night was her. Memories of their time together before Ziost, of the devastation and elation that had followed when he thought her dead and then found out she was still alive, the way she felt through this fledgling force bond they shared—all of that and more still swirled half-formed inside his head, and now that she was here, he couldn’t be content to only sit and think of her.

“Do you remember the first time we danced?”

The question was sudden, unplanned, surprising Theron as much as it did Safi, but the soft music still emanating from his implants, combined with his reminiscing, created a desire that he seized onto right away.

Safi was silent for a moment as Theron’s words conjured up the ghost of her own distant memory: heavy folds of silk rustling around her legs, the feel of his warm hands against her cool skin, the suffocating press of stares both interested and condemning.

“I do,” she answered finally, and smiled as the strong breeze of another memory blew apart the threads of the first. “I remember the second time, too.”

It was his turn to smile now. “The second dance was better, wasn’t it?”

Safi hummed in affirmation, remembering the night that had held both, the first at a Senate ball held in honor of Vitiate and Revan’s defeat on Yavin Four, the second, hours later, in the small living room of Theron’s apartment.

Laughter filled her voice when she said, “I didn’t have to worry about where you might put your hands the second time.”

Theron chuckled with her, even as he protested. “We were in a ballroom filled with people, including my mother—I wasn’t going to do anything inappropriate!”

Safi’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “I wouldn’t have put it past you. But you made up for your good behavior later, if I recall.” And she did, quite clearly; some of the things they’d done that night she hadn’t even known were possible until then, and she felt a quiet sort of arousal thrum through her at the thought.

From the gleam in his eye, Theron remembered just as well as she did. “Dance with me again,” he murmured, hands tightening on her waist, “and then we can go inside and repeat the rest.”

“There’s no music,” she felt compelled to point out, though she was sure that wasn’t enough to stop him if he was truly determined. Sure enough, he quirked his lips at her and raised on hand to tap lightly against the cybernetics around his eye.

“Of course there is.”

“Not all of us have radio implants, Theron,” she teased, but he only smirked at her as he lifted a hand to rummage through one of the interior pockets of his jacket, emerging after a few seconds with a small device grasped between two fingers.

“Which is why I carry an extra ear bud, just in case.”

Safi raised an eyebrow. “Just how many women have you asked to dance to the music in your head?” she asked tartly.

Expecting him to reply in kind, she was undone when he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, “Only one. Only you.”

Swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat, she silently took the ear bud from his hand and placed it in her ear, letting the quiet beat of the aubade melody carry her back to that night on Coruscant, their bodies pressed together as they were now, whispers of instinct taking the place of formal steps to guide their movements.

Safi didn’t know how long they stood there, her arms twined around his neck, his hands splayed across the small of her back, gently swaying together as one song faded into another. It was the first pale ray of sunlight, slipping above the horizon and washing the blackness behind her eyelids with soft gold, that broke her reverie; she opened her eyes to find Theron smiling down at her.

Their languid rotations tapered off and Safi’s eyes fluttered closed again as she felt his fingers brush her cheek; a moment later his lips pressed against hers in a soft, slow kiss. She whimpered in protest when he drew away, but he turned her so that her back was against his chest and placed his arms around her once more, taking a moment to bury his face in her hair before he spoke.

“How long do we have before someone comes looking for us?”

Safi eyed the watercolor sky before them, gauging the time from the position of the rising sun.

“An hour?” she guessed. “We’re supposed to have a breakfast meeting with Lana and some of the other advisors.”

Theron sounded at least halfway serious when he asked, “Could we blow them off and just spend the whole day in bed?” He didn’t wait for her answer, bringing his lips to that spot just behind her ear that he knew she loved and lightly grazing his teeth across her skin. Relishing in the shiver that ran down her spine, he spoke against her neck. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

His words and actions had the desired effect; longing crashed over Safi like a tidal wave, and she was suddenly very glad that Theron was holding her up, because she wasn’t at all sure that her knees could support her at the moment. It never failed to surprise her, this power he held over her, the ability to turn her inside out with a few words or a single touch, and if it had belonged to anyone else she would have been terrified. But she trusted him more than she trusted even herself, and so she willingly surrendered herself to the feelings he so easily brought out in her.

“I don’t know about all day,” she answered, returning to the moment with some difficulty; her voice was breathless and heavy with desire. “But if we hurry, we’ll probably only be a few minutes late for that meeting.”

Safi almost fell as Theron stepped away from her without warning, but he reached out to steady her before grabbing her hand and pulling her along after him, his pace as fast as it could be without actually being defined as running. A heady laugh spilled from her lips as she followed, letting him whisk her down the hill and through the hallways to her quarters, where, safely behind locked doors, he finally pulled her against him again.

 *~*~*~*~*

Standing in the corridor just outside the hangar, Lana rolled her eyes as she watched Theron and Safi rush past, hand in hand, both of them laughing so hard they could barely breathe. With displays like that, it was no wonder their relationship was the worst kept secret on Odessen, but Lana was honestly more amused than irritated. Most of the Alliance personnel already working this morning had viewed the scene with indulgence or, in the case of several young women, with outright stars in their eyes, and though a few grumbled or shook their heads, it seemed to be good-natured.

The only thing, she thought, as she pulled out her datapad and typed out a message, was that they really needed to work on their timing.

  *~*~*~*~*

 Theron almost ignored the incoming message alert that flashed across his vision, but when he saw the subject line he paused, blinking twice to open the message and quickly scanning the short missive.

**From: Lana Beniko**

**To: Alliance Military Advisors [all], Theron Shan, Safiya Adraiel**

**Subject: Meeting Rescheduled**

**Due to unforeseen circumstances, this morning’s meeting has been postponed until ten o’clock. Please arrive promptly, as there is much to cover and we will be behind schedule as it is.**

“Remind me to do something nice for Lana later,” he commented, clearing the message with another blink.

“Why?” Safi asked plaintively, her fingers tracing patterns across the muscled plane of his stomach, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand.

“Because,” he said, a grin spreading across his features as he brought his lips to her skin, “now I have time to do _this._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapters have been outlined, so hopefully life won't interfere too much and there won't be too long of a wait between updates.


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